[Sca-cooks] period cheeses

[Linda M. Kalb]

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Hi.  I am new to the group (just joined today).  My persona is late
9th/early 10th century
Norwegian (yes, Viking).

I begin with a question.

All the cheeses at the feasts I've been to were store-bought and as a
cheese-lover, I'd like to learn to make fresh, additive-free cheese
myself. It seems to me that homemade cheese would be more period anyway,
like homemade bread. Also, lactaid milk tastes the same as regular milk to
me so maybe using lactaid milk wouldn't affect the cheese's taste, but have
the advantage of being edible to lactose-intolerant cheese lovers (are there
any on this list or that you know of?) who normally can't eat cheese for that
reason.

On vacation in Scandinavia I noticed a wider variety of cheeses and other
fermented dairy products (kefir, yogurt) in small markets in Norway than I
see here in large U.S. supermarkets, not to mention types of cheeses never
seen in the northeastern United States, even in specialty cheese shops.

Does anyone know what cheeses were made and/or eaten (could be
imported, right?) by Viking age Norse folk?  Or "in period" in general for the
SCA? And how far from their regions of origin?

Also, would milk without lactose react significantly differently in the
cheesemaking
process and if so, in what way?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Yours In Service,

Inga Guthbrandsdottir



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